Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon, Mexico and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,191 a month against $1,298 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Guadalajara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Leon
Learn more

Leon Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
Learn more

Guadalajara Living Index

Jump to prices

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leon and in Guadalajara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Leon and in Guadalajara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,191 in Leon versus $1,298 in Guadalajara.

Leon $1,191
Guadalajara $1,298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,930 in Leon versus $2,082 in Guadalajara.

Leon $1,930
Guadalajara $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,669 in Leon versus $2,866 in Guadalajara.

Leon $2,669
Guadalajara $2,866

Living in Leon costs roughly 8% less than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Leon 12% lower, Guadalajara 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 MX$204

$13.70 MX$255

-20.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$1,003

$42.79 MX$798

25.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.66 MX$161

$9.10 MX$170

-4.84%

Cappuccino

$4.01 MX$74.8

$3.78 MX$70.5

6.08%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$28.88

$1.58 MX$29.40

-1.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.85

$1.08 MX$20.18

13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 MX$54.4

$2.72 MX$50.6

7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 MX$71.9

$4.86 MX$90.6

-20.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MX$32.57

$1.70 MX$31.65

2.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 MX$50.7

$2.55 MX$47.48

6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$32.01

$1.63 MX$30.34

5.52%

Eggs

$3.27 MX$60.9

$2.39 MX$44.63

36.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.81 MX$127

$8.94 MX$167

-23.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$9.70 MX$181

-22.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 MX$202

$11.27 MX$210

-3.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 MX$44.23

$2.79 MX$52.0

-15.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.47

$1.60 MX$29.81

-14.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.27

$1.94 MX$36.17

-8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.83

$1.82 MX$33.90

-20.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.63

$1.95 MX$36.40

1.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.64

$1.77 MX$33.04

16.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 MX$24.85

$1.58 MX$29.40

-15.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 MX$13.58

$1.08 MX$20.06

-32.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 MX$125

$4.84 MX$90.3

38.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 MX$247

$10.37 MX$193

27.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 MX$43.41

$1.96 MX$36.45

18.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 MX$66.8

$3.37 MX$62.9

6.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MX$14.55

$0.58 MX$10.81

34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.94 MX$707

$29.99 MX$559

26.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 MX$50.8

$2.10 MX$39.19

29.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 MX$48.85

$1.47 MX$27.38

78.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.76 MX$275

$9.54 MX$178

54.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.06

$1.46 MX$27.15

-4.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.5K MX$457.4K

$20.5K MX$382.3K

19.66%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.3K MX$433.6K

$22.9K MX$427.7K

1.38%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$21.19 MX$395

$48.21 MX$899

-56.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$39.64 MX$739

$22.37 MX$417

77.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 MX$1,072

$29.85 MX$556

92.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.72 MX$685

$28.25 MX$527

29.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.64 MX$627

$11.00 MX$205

205.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 MX$121

$5.80 MX$108

11.72%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$178 MX$3,320

$234 MX$4,356

-23.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,783 MX$70.5K

$9,974 MX$185.9K

-62.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,036

$55.6 MX$1,037

-0.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.2 MX$1,215

$39.32 MX$733

65.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 MX$1,818

$103 MX$1,917

-5.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,163

$78.9 MX$1,471

47.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 MX$9,783

$921 MX$17.2K

-43.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 MX$6,746

$501 MX$9,338

-27.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.4K

$1,549 MX$28.9K

-50.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 MX$12.6K

$1,009 MX$18.8K

-32.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,432 MX$64.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,142 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 MX$9,838

$760 MX$14.2K

-30.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

11.53

0.61%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Leon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Leon

$362 30.4%

Guadalajara

$501 38.6% 38.4% $139

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$259 21.7%

Guadalajara

$274 21.1% 5.8% $15

Eating Out

Leon

$195 16.4%

Guadalajara

$216 16.7% 10.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$150 12.6%

Guadalajara

$125 9.6% 17.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$118 9.9%

Guadalajara

$100 7.7% 15.2% $18

Getting Around

Leon

$57 4.8%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 26.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$50 4.2%

Guadalajara

$40 3.1% 19.8% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $525 in Leon and $921 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $54 in Leon vs $43 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $259 vs $274, with Leon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Leon

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

Same time as Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,579,803

1,385,629

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leon Guadalajara 180 km

From you

Leon
Guadalajara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Leon vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leon wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Leon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Leon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $525 in Leon versus $921 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Guadalajara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $43 versus $54 in Leon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Leon is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Leon wins on affordability, Guadalajara on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.